I chose to do my Wiki on bilingual education because I feel it is an issue about which any new teacher must be informed. It is clear that there are and will continue to be a large group of students in any classroom who would benefit from learning in this manner. Also, I am looking into pursuing my ESOL certificate, so researching bilingual education and its' uses in the classroom was especially relevant.
First, a definition, brought to you by Wikipedia: "Bilingual education involves teaching academic content in two languages, in a native and secondary language with varying amounts of each language..." (Bilingual Education)
TOP 5 THINGS I LEARNED:
1. People are extremely polarized on this issue. Some groups believe vehemently that it would be harmful to students to be placed in a bilingual classroom: "According to ProEnglish, a national organization promoting English as the official language of the United States, students taught through bilingual instruction have lower test scores, higher dropout rates, remain socially isolated, and often graduate from high school without learning basic English skills" (Oregon Ballot Against BE). On the other hand, many people see the value of giving students the opportunity to learn for at least part of the day in their native language: "Bilingual programs would do well to provide long periods of total English immersion as well as opportunities to interact with native speakers" (Pros and Cons of BE).
2. There are four main models through which most schools approach bilingual education:
Transitional Bilingual Education. This involves education in a child's native language, typically for no more than three years, to ensure that students do not fall behind in content areas like math, science, and social studies while they are learning English. The goal is to help students transition to mainstream, English-only classrooms as quickly as possible, and the linguistic goal of such programs is English acquisition only.
Two-Way or Dual Language Immersion Bilingual Education. These programs are designed to help native and non-native English speakers become bilingual and biliterate. Ideally in such programs in a U.S. context, half of the students will be native speakers of English and half of the students will be native speakers of a minority language such as Spanish. Dual Language programs are less common in US schools, although research indicates they are extremely effective in helping students learn English well and aiding the long-term performance of English learners in school. Native English speakers benefit by learning a second language. English language learners (ELLs) are not segregated from their peers.
Here is a video illustrating the benefits of Dual Language Immersion:
Another form of Bilingual Education is a type of Dual Language program that has students study in two different ways: 1) A variety of academic subjects are taught in the students' second language, with specially trained bilingual teachers who can understand students when they ask questions in their native language, but always answer in the second language; and 2) Native language literacy classes improve students' writing and higher-order language skills in their first language. Research has shown that many of the skills learned in the native language can be transferred easily to the second language later. In this type of program, the native language classes do not teach academic subjects. The second-language classes are content-based, rather than grammar-based, so students learn all of their academic subjects in the second language.
Late-Exit or Developmental Bilingual Education. Education is in the child's native language for an extended duration, accompanied by education in English. The goal is to develop literacy in the child's native language first, and transfer these skills to the second language.
(Bilingual Education Methods) 3. An organization exists whose solitary purpose is to protect the rights of those leaners who need language assistance. This organization is called the National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE). Here is an exerpt from their mission statement and a link to their website: "NABE's mission is to advocate for our nation's Bilingual and English Language Learners and families and to cultivate a multilingual multicultural society by supporting and promoting policy, programs, pedagogy, research, and professional development that yield academic success, value native language, lead to English proficiency, and respect cultural and linguistic diversity."
(NABE Homepage)
4. After reading lots of research supporting bilingual education, I was left wondering how people could still be opposed to it; I found an article published in 2002 which both asked and answered my same question. Here is the rebuttal to skeptisism: "First, the shortage of trained staff has grown increasingly acute in states like California. As a result, well-designed bilingual programs have been provided to only a tiny minority of English learners. Second, research shows that students drop out for many reasons. Those who received bilingual education actually are more likely to stay in school. Finally, native-language instruction is hardly a panacea for the academic problems of Latino or Asian students - any more than it is for Anglo students. It is merely one variable among many that determines the success or failure of an educational program." (Rethinking Schools)
5. Some schools are beginning to employ bilingual education in the classroom. I was interested in this as a possibility in my own classroom.
Other Resources: A History of Bilingual/Multicultural Education:
A Public Service Announcement for Bilingual Education:
The Importance of Bilingual Education (I didn't really like this video, too much opionion without data)
Bilingual Education
I chose to do my Wiki on bilingual education because I feel it is an issue about which any new teacher must be informed. It is clear that there are and will continue to be a large group of students in any classroom who would benefit from learning in this manner. Also, I am looking into pursuing my ESOL certificate, so researching bilingual education and its' uses in the classroom was especially relevant.First, a definition, brought to you by Wikipedia: "Bilingual education involves teaching academic content in two languages, in a native and secondary language with varying amounts of each language..." (Bilingual Education)
TOP 5 THINGS I LEARNED:
1. People are extremely polarized on this issue. Some groups believe vehemently that it would be harmful to students to be placed in a bilingual classroom: "According to ProEnglish, a national organization promoting English as the official language of the United States, students taught through bilingual instruction have lower test scores, higher dropout rates, remain socially isolated, and often graduate from high school without learning basic English skills" (Oregon Ballot Against BE).
On the other hand, many people see the value of giving students the opportunity to learn for at least part of the day in their native language: "Bilingual programs would do well to provide long periods of total English immersion as well as opportunities to interact with native speakers" (Pros and Cons of BE).
2. There are four main models through which most schools approach bilingual education:
Here is a video illustrating the benefits of Dual Language Immersion:
- Late-Exit or Developmental Bilingual Education. Education is in the child's native language for an extended duration, accompanied by education in English. The goal is to develop literacy in the child's native language first, and transfer these skills to the second language.
(Bilingual Education Methods)3. An organization exists whose solitary purpose is to protect the rights of those leaners who need language assistance. This organization is called the National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE). Here is an exerpt from their mission statement and a link to their website:
"NABE's mission is to advocate for our nation's Bilingual and English Language Learners and families and to cultivate a multilingual multicultural society by supporting and promoting policy, programs, pedagogy, research, and professional development that yield academic success, value native language, lead to English proficiency, and respect cultural and linguistic diversity."
(NABE Homepage)
4. After reading lots of research supporting bilingual education, I was left wondering how people could still be opposed to it; I found an article published in 2002 which both asked and answered my same question. Here is the rebuttal to skeptisism:
"First, the shortage of trained staff has grown increasingly acute in states like California. As a result, well-designed bilingual programs have been provided to only a tiny minority of English learners. Second, research shows that students drop out for many reasons. Those who received bilingual education actually are more likely to stay in school. Finally, native-language instruction is hardly a panacea for the academic problems of Latino or Asian students - any more than it is for Anglo students. It is merely one variable among many that determines the success or failure of an educational program." (Rethinking Schools)
5. Some schools are beginning to employ bilingual education in the classroom. I was interested in this as a possibility in my own classroom.
Other Resources:
A History of Bilingual/Multicultural Education:
A Public Service Announcement for Bilingual Education:
The Importance of Bilingual Education (I didn't really like this video, too much opionion without data)